Why Does My Tooth Hurt When I Jump? Sinus, Nerve or Crack

Why a Tooth Hurts When You Jump

• A congested sinus. The roots of the upper back teeth sit just below the floor of the sinus. During a cold or an allergy flare the sinus fills with fluid, and each landing pushes on those roots. It is a dull ache across several upper teeth on one side, worse when you bend over or walk downstairs, with a blocked nose to match. Sinus infection or toothache goes into the difference.
• Inflammation at the root tip. When the nerve inside a tooth (the pulp) is inflamed or has died, the inflammation spreads to the ligament that cushions the root in the bone. A swollen cushion does not cushion much. The tooth is sore to jump on, sore to tap, often sore to bite, and it may throb. See throbbing toothache.
• An abscess. Infection at the root with pus trapped under pressure makes every jolt worse. Look for swelling, a pimple on the gum or a bad taste. Toothache vs abscess explains how to tell, and MouthHealthy has a clear page on dental abscesses.
• A cracked tooth. When you land, your jaw tends to snap shut. A crack flexes under that sudden bite and gives a sharp jolt on one spot. The AAE covers cracked teeth in detail.
• Clenching during exercise. Plenty of people clench hard while running or lifting without knowing it. The result is several teeth that ache afterwards and tired jaw muscles, rather than one sore tooth.
• A loose tooth. Gum disease or a recent knock can leave a tooth moving slightly in its socket, and it moves more when you land.

Sinus or Tooth? What You Can Check at Home

• Upper or lower. There is no sinus above your lower teeth. A lower tooth that hurts when you jump is a tooth problem.
• How many teeth. A vague ache across several upper teeth on one side points to the sinus. One tooth that clearly hurts more than its neighbours points to that tooth.
• The tap test. Tap each tooth gently with the handle of a teaspoon. One that is noticeably sorer than the rest is the one to mention when you call.
• The bend-over test. Lower your head below your knees for a few seconds. Sinus pain gets heavier. Tooth pain usually stays the same.
• Cold. Pain from a cold drink that lingers for more than a few seconds suggests the nerve is involved.

None of this replaces an x-ray. It is, however, better than jumping up and down in the kitchen twenty times to check whether it still hurts, which is what most people try first.

When It Is Not Your Tooth, and Not a Job for Us

Pain in the jaw or teeth that comes on with exertion and eases within a few minutes of rest can come from the heart, particularly with chest tightness, breathlessness, sweating, nausea or pain spreading into the arm. It is not common, but it is the one cause on this page that must not wait for a dentist. Stop, and call Magen David Adom on 101. Do not drive yourself to us.

Go to a hospital emergency room, not to a dental clinic, if swelling is spreading toward your eye or down your neck, if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, or if you have a high fever and feel unwell. And if it turns out to be your sinus, your family doctor or pharmacist is the right person, not us. MouthHealthy's page on dental emergencies draws similar lines.

How Soon to See a Dentist

Can usually wait, or settle on its own:

• Several upper teeth aching during a cold, easing as the congestion clears.
• A general ache after a hard workout that is gone by the next day.

Worth booking within a few days:

• One tooth that is sore to jump on, tap or bite, without swelling.
• An upper tooth still sore a week after the cold has gone.

Same day:

• Throbbing that wakes you, or pain that lingers long after you stop moving.
• Swelling in the gum or face, a pimple on the gum, or a bad taste from one tooth.

Getting It Checked at Our Beit Shemesh Clinic

At our clinic on Harav Kook 28/1 we do not ask anyone to jump. Tapping each tooth is the polite version of the same test. Add a cold test on the nerve, a bite on a small bite-testing tool to look for a crack, and an x-ray of the root tip, and the cause is usually clear. If it is the sinus, we will say so and send you to your doctor. If the nerve is past recovery, root canal treatment in Beit Shemesh is usually what saves the tooth.

The clinic is open Sunday to Thursday 08:00 to 20:00 and Friday 09:00 to 17:00, and Shabbat is reserved for genuine emergencies only. Same-day appointments are possible at the Beit Shemesh clinic. Dr. Joel trained in the United States and treats in Hebrew and English, so "it hurts when I land, not when I take off" can be said exactly as you mean it.

Until You Are Seen

• Swap high-impact exercise for walking for a few days.
• An anti-inflammatory painkiller such as ibuprofen, taken as the packet directs, if it is safe for you.
• Treat the cold if you have one, and see whether the teeth settle with it.

If a tooth hurts when you jump, send us a WhatsApp saying whether it is upper or lower, one tooth or several, and whether you have a cold. That is often enough for us to tell you whether it needs today or can wait. Call or WhatsApp 055-985-8845. Ramat Beit Shemesh Urgent Dental Care is at Harav Kook 28/1, Beit Shemesh, with same-day appointments when a tooth cannot wait and emergency dental care outside normal hours.